Boundary Between Love and Friendship
by yuuki-baka
Summary: Three years after the war... Naruto finally confronts Hinata about her confession and they both agree to stay just friends. Hinata decides to help Naruto in becoming Hokage, and to become ANBU captain. So they begin training together. A new ninja joins Konoha, and becomes Naruto's rival in becoming Hokage! Not only that, he seems to like Hinata! Full Summary Inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my first story EVER… So please no flames! If anything, give some constructive criticism? Thanks! Please review, favorite, or follow to encourage me to write more? :D**

**Disclaimer: Simply don't own Naruto…**

**_Italics : Thoughts_**

**"_" : "Dialogue."**

**It's three years after the war. Guilty of avoiding Hinata's confession for so long, Naruto confronts her and they both agree to stay just friends. Hinata makes her new goal to help Naruto reach his dream of becoming Hokage, and also to become ANBU captain. The two decide to train together, and they grow closer and stronger together. A new ninja joins Konoha, and quickly becomes Naruto's rival in becoming Hokage. Not only that, he seems to be interested in Hinata! Did Naruto make the right choice in friend-zoning Hinata? Is it too late to fix his mistake?**

**Please enjoy! ~**  
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_Naruto lay there, unable to move. Pein had trapped him with his chakra rods._ _Stupid chakra rods, I can't move… Pein is closing in…_ _This is it… It's actually…over…_

…

_BOOM! Somebody had intercepted Pein. _

…

_ Naruto was somewhat relieved, but he was more worried than anything. That brave fool was going to get hurt. He/she has to get away, quickly! An figure lands in front of him, facing Pein with a defensive stance and a piercing glare. Her long, midnight blue hair flows from the force of her attack._

_ "I wont let you lay another finger on Naruto- kun!" She shouts fiercely at Pein. She then turns to give him a sideways glance, her pearl eyes strangely calm. Hinata..!? _

_ "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! RUN!" He hollers, but she ignores him._

_ "I'm here on my own free will." She says softly, "I'm just being selfish. I just wanted to over take you, to walk beside you, to be with you." She then looks directly into his eyes and smiles at him. "Your smile saved me! So I'm not afraid to die protecting you, because I... love you, Naruto- kun!" It was as if time froze. Naruto could do nothing but widen his eyes in utter shock._

_ She faces Pein, preparing to strike. Suddenly, she turns around and strikes at Naruto's chakra rod, something not even Pein expected. He reacted quickly, and sent Hinata flying in the air. _

_ "NOOO! STOP!" Naruto cries, although he knew it was useless. Hinata lands onto the ground with a crashing thud. Blood drips down her forehead. Regardless, she stands up, and shouts,_

_ "Juuho Soushiken! (Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists)" Too chakra lions form from her fists, power emitting from them. She charges at Pein, attacking him ferociously, to which he simply dodges effortlessly. Suddenly, he freezes, and she strikes him at the head. In his moment of hesitation, she charges over and strikes down a chakra rod. Pein quickly sends her flying again, and she plummets to the ground like a rocket._

_ "STOP!" He shouts again, but to no avail. He felt helpless. His friend was lying over there, hurt and broken…. And he couldn't do a thing about it. Hinata gets up again; somehow still having some fight left in her. She crawls over to Naruto. Pein watches her intently as if trying to figure her out. She grabs onto a chakra rod and tries to pull it, with the little to no strength she had left. She smiles down at Naruto. Her face was bleeding, beaten, bruised. Yet her face still radiated with kindness and warmth. Her eyes full of resolve and...love? When did she look… So beautiful? He hears Pein speak,_

_ "Why do you still fight… Knowing you don't stand a chance?_

_ "I stand by what I say… Because that is my nindo, my ninja way." She states confidently. 'My nindo…' Naruto thought, 'She is just… Like me.' Without a second thought, Pein sends her flying, limp as a rag doll. She crashes down with a deafening bang. Pein walks over to her, and takes a chakra rod… and strikes her at the chest… Blood leaks from her lifeless body. No, no, no, no, Naruto's mind repeated like a mantra. _

_ "It was like this… that my parents were killed by Konoha Shinobi…Right before my very eyes…." Pein states, looking directly at Naruto. He could not move… Could not breathe… Could not think… He only knew one thing then: Pein must die. Then everything went black. _

Naruto woke up with a start. He was sweating profusely, and his breathing was jagged. His heart thumped like a beating drum. _Oh, it was just a dream_, he thought, calming down a bit. He just sat on his bed, deep in thought. Why did he still have nightmares about this? It's been three years already since then. He was one of Konaha's choices to be the next Hokage, and he's brought Sasuke back to Konoha. Life was good... So why does he constantly dream about the Pein incident... And her confession?...

Huh, now did he think about it... He's never thanked her, never replied to her, never even mentioned the incident to her. Heck, he's barely talked to her at all these past three years. Maybe it's the guilt of avoiding her sacrifice... And her heartfelt confession.

_That's right_, Naruto thought, _I've been avoiding her since then... Keeping myself busy with other things._ But what would he say? That he loved her back? No, he loved Sakura. He always had, right? But how would he reject her without hurting her feelings? But maybe if he confronts her the nightmares will go away and stop haunting him? It's worth a try. But love was foreign to him, something that has never been really given to him… Something that has never been said to him… Before Hinata, that is.

_I need some counseling on this, what if I do this thing wrong?_ He thought, _if I break kind Hinata's heart, I could never forgive myself!_ Maybe Ichiraku or Ayame could give him advice on putting a girl down nicely! Yeah, that's a good idea. He nodded to himself in affirmation.

"Time to get some advice!" He announced, fists pumped into the air. _Grrrrumble_, his stomach growled. "And some Ramen while I'm at it!" With that, he got ready and dashed out the door.

"Ha!" Hinata yelled, striking at the log post. Ever since the war ended, she had been training endlessly. Maybe if she had been stronger, she would have actually protected him from Pein and not get brutally beaten. Maybe if she was stronger, Naruto would notice her, and look her way... _Even after my confession, my sacrifice... It's been 3 years, and He hasn't said a word regarding it..._

… Why? Did he forget?! She hit the post harder... Faster... angrier. SNAP! The training stump broke in half. Huff, puff, huff, puff. Hinata breathed heavily as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. No, he couldn't have... It was too big an incident. She poured her heart into those words, and fought her very hardest against Pein!

Maybe she just means so little to him, that he just didn't care. She bit her lip so hard it began to bleed. Then she remembered how he had believed in her when she fought against Neji, and how he said she was strong when they were fighting against the White Zetsu. She scolded herself for thinking that way. Naruto-kun's not that type of guy. He may be somewhat dense, blunt, and oblivious, but he was never cruel.

Most likely... He just doesn't know what to say. _He loves Sakura-chan after all_, she smiled sadly. _He's probably just avoiding rejecting me_. She looked down at her hands, which were bruised and splintered, roughed up from her intense training session. _It's not Naruto's fault_, she thought sadly. _It's me. I'm too timid. Too weak. Too unconfident. Too plain. If I was a guy, I wouldn't like me either…_

_"I like people like you!"_ She suddenly remembers Naruto saying. She faintly smiles, now renewed with hope. _Naruto may not like me that way, but he gives me so much hope... So much confidence_, she thought. _I know I can't force him to love me, but I do know I want him to be happy. If he's happy, I'm happy. If he's happy being just friends with me, then so be it. It'll be hard… But I must get over him._

Right now, Naruto is probably still conflicted with how to reject her nicely, knowing him. _I'll go find him_, she thought, _and tell him I'm okay with being just friends. I'll save him the trouble and guilt that way. Besides,there's no need to keep this awkwardness between us. This must be settled once and for all!_ Nodding affirmatively to herself, she set off to find Naruto, leaving behind the busted training post.

#chapter end

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**Thanks for everyone's who's reviewed, followed, favorited! You're the best ! :D**

**I'ma try to update at least once a week!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yep, I've updated again. Hopefully I'll be able to every week. Thanks for following/favoriting/reviewing/reading! It makes me feel so happy! Anyways! Enjoy this chapter, guys!**

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"Swo deres dish gurlsh heenammata -" Naruto said, his mouth full. He was at Ichiraku's, his favorite ramen shop. Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame worked there, and they were close as family to him.  
"Naruto don't talk with your mouth full!" Ayame scolded. Gulp! He slurped down the Ramen dangling from his mouth.

"Anyway, so you know Hinata?" Naruto said.  
"Of course! I heard she sacrificed herself for your sake during the Pein battle! She's a brave girl, and pretty too! Why, you like her?" Ayame said teasingly.  
Naruto choked on his new helping of Ramen.

"W-what?! No!" He waved his hands defensively. Ichiraku turned around and placed another steaming Ramen bowl next to Naruto's empty one. Naruto was about to pick up his chopsticks to start scarfing down some more ramen when the old rameneer spoke up.  
"So what about her then," he questioned. Naruto slumped his shoulders and took a deep breath.

"So during that battle, Hinata confessed her love to me," he started. Ayame let out an excited squeal.  
"And... I haven't said really anything to her since then," Naruto finished sheepishly.  
"You Baka!" Ayame yelled, hitting him over the head with her frying pan. "Baka! Baka! Baka!"  
She repeatedly hit him several times.

"Owww Ayame that hurt!" Naruto whined, clutching his throbbing head.  
"That's the point, baka!" She shouted at him. Ichiraku stood there shaking head disappointedly with his arms crossed.  
"Poor girl," he sighed, "I can't imagine how she must be feeling." _Geesh_, Naruto thought, _way to make a guy feel guilty._  
"That's why I came here... I need advice. I've decided to confront her," He said.

"Ooooh!" Ayame squealed, anger draining from her face, "You going to give the girl a chance?"  
"Uhm actually no..." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head in a nervous manner, "I'm going to tell her we should stay just friends." And the frying pan flew back at his head. TWACK!

_Oww_, he thought, _what's her problem_?  
"Bakaaaa! She hollered, "She's a sweet girl! She deserves a chance."  
"I know but... I don't feel that way towards her. Besides, you know I love Sakura-chan!"

Ayame rolled her eyes; even Ichiraku couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Look, Naruto," Ayame said slowly, making sure Naruto's dense little mind absorbs every word, "Sakura. Loves. Sasuke. Not. You... Hinata. Loves. You. Got it?" She didn't want to hurt his feelings , but her lil bro must face reality; therefore, she had to tell it to him straight and clear.

Naruto didn't know why, but his heart beat quicker when Ayame reminded him Hinata loves him. He had felt sad and bitter when he was reminded Sakura had no romantic interest in him, but Hinata's love... had healed his dejected heart...and made him feel happy, warm, and just simply loved! And there was this weird fuzzy feeling in his stomach.

_Why do I feel this way_, Naruto wondered, clutching his racing heart. _What is this weird feeling?_ He looked up at Ayame and pushed away his fourth, but untouched Ramen bowl. Hinata's face suddenly appeared in his mind; her gentle smile and kind pearl eyes and luscious dark hair... She had always cheered him on, always believed in him. _Maybe Ayame's right._  
"I'm...Not hungry anymore..." He said, slapping some money on the table. "I'm gonna look for Hinata. I... might give her a chance." Ayame squeals and claps her hands at this.

"Thanks for the ramen!" He called as he hurries off, to where Ayame believes the ninja training grounds to be located at.

"Good luck, Naruto!" She and Ichiraku yelled as his figure disappeared in the distance.  
"Training Ground 8," he mused to himself, "I think that's where Hinata always trains..." And so he sprinted off, in to the direction of Training Ground 8, hoping to run into her...

Meanwhile...

Hinata walked down the road, heading towards Ichiraku. Naruto always seems to be eating there. As she walked down the street, she was lost in her thoughts.

_One of my dreams, beside changing myself and my lack of confidence, was to walk side by side and hold hands with Naruto... to be with him... But now that I realize that dream is beyond my reach, I should challenge myself to new goals._

_Hmm_, she thought, _I've always wanted to be as good as Neji-Nissan is, and he's a skilled ANBU. Maybe I should make my goal to surpass him, and most other ninjas of Konoha. I could be... An ANBU! _However, her confidence soon dropped when she remembered how great ANBUs were, and how pitiful she was. It seemed impossible, especially for a meek girl like her but...

_"I will be Hokage someday!"_ Naruto's voice rang through her head, _"Dattebayo!"_  
_No_, she shook her self-berating thoughts, _I must not give up before I even started!_ She smiles to herself, thinking of Naruto and his unbreakable confidence. _He would be a great Hokage_, she mused, _I have no doubt in him!..._

_That's it!_ She thought, _I would help him achieve his goal as I strive to reach mine! It's the least could do... Naruto had always cheered me up, never put me down, he does what used to be impossible... He makes me believe in myself._ And his smile, his genuine smiles... They give her the greatest, most heartwarming feeling in the world. When he's happy, she's happy... It was as simple as that.

_Okay, I WILL reach my goals_, she thought, now resolute. _I'll change myself, become ANBU, and help Naruto in his quest to become Hokage!_  
Then she remembered she had to tell Naruto that she's cool with being just friends with him. _And I'll ask to train with him too_, she thought. _We could reach our goals together, even if as just friends_. _Okay, off to Ichiraku to find -_

BAM! Thud! She found herself on the ground. A blur of orange had suddenly bumped into her, head first, hreaking her train of thought. The person rubbed his injured head. He had sun-kissed blonde hair... Beautiful blue eyes... Whiskered cheeks...

"Naruto-kun?" She said, surprised. She didn't expect to encounter him so soon. He didn't hear her though, due to his throbbing head.

"Oww, that hurt," he whined, "Shoulda looked where I was running!" _Who'd I bump into anyways_... He wondered.  
His sea-blue eyes peered down at her, eyes widening in surprise.

"H-Hinata?!"

#chapter end

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**Thanks for reading! Hope you can find time to review and tell me how it is? Please no flames though! You can give me suggestions, feedback, or some constructive critism! I'd appreciate it if you follow/fave it too! I'll try to update next week! And to my readers - THANKS! You have no idea how happy it makes me when my story is enjoyed haha!  
**

**A/N : there's a slight revision in this chappy ^_^  
**


	3. Chapter 3

hey guys! im back with a new chapter! And btw.. did you guys read chapter 615... SO CUTE! That was like one of the most greatest Naruhina moments ever ~

If you haven't... YOU HAVE TO READ IT! and im not giving out spoilers, haha. \

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Naruto held out his hand to help Hinata up.  
"Um... Sorry for bumping into you," Naruto said sheepishly, his eyes looking at anywhere but her.

"I-It's okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, now standing up, awkwardly brushing the dirt off her clothes.  
_Now's the time to talk about 'it'_, thought Hinata. Little did she know, Naruto was thinking the same thing.

"I need to tell you something!" they both said in unison.

"Err... You could go first," Naruto offered, not really wanting to talk about it yet. Hinata's hands almost went up to poke her fingers together, but she stopped herself. _No_, she thought, _I told myself I would change. I'm going to tell him straight in the eye and tell him I'm okay with being just friends! And I'll try my best to smile, and hide my sadness. There's no need to make Naruto feel guilty!_ She took a deep breath.

"Naruto-kun," she said, "you remember...my confession...right?"  
Naruto's breath became a bit shaky, and his heart thumped a bit faster. Maybe he didn't have to even say anything! He felt a bit nervous and hopeful. Wait, why would he feel hopeful? He loves Sakura! He's just giving Hinata a chance, as a thank-you for all the nice things she's done for him... Right?

"I just wanted to say," she said, looking directly into Naruto's eyes with a half-smile, "I'm okay with being just friends, Naruto-kun. You aren't obligated to reciprocate my feelings. I honestly meant what I said during the battlefield, though. You've always inspired me and made me like myself better. You give me hope, courage, and confidence! That's why I want us to be like friends again Naruto-kun... I-I noticed that... Y-you've been avoiding me lately." Hinata mumbled the last part quietly, now looking at the ground.

Naruto was speechless. All he could do was gape at her with wide eyes. He didn't know why, but he was unexpectedly disappointed that Hinata seemed just fine at being just friends with him. Wasn't this what he wanted? This saves him all the trouble right? _I mean, Hinata's feelings aren't hurt, and they're both on good terms, mutually friends. But why do I suddenly feel so... empty_, he thought. Not only that, it warmed his heart that Hinata felt that strongly about him.

He's been seeking acknowledgement and respect his whole life, and only now he realized Hinata had provided him with that since the very beginning. Heck - that's an understatement! He was her inspiration and her hope...and she loved him. And there it was again - that strange feeling! Those butterflies in his stomach, his skipping heartbeat, that warm and fuzzy feeling! But along with all there was that nagging guilt.

That guilt that's been bugging him more and more lately. He had hoped she wouldn't realize he's been avoiding her, but after three years it probably became quite obvious to her. Ayame and Ichiraku were right...

How could he hurt such a kind, caring, beautiful girl?Uhh... Did he just think that? He shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts. _Hinata's just a friend_, he reminded himself, _and my heart belongs to Sakura-chan_. But buried somewhere deep, deep within him, there was a hint of doubt that this was true.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," he murmured, not looking at her.  
"That's alright, Naruto-kun," she assured him, "it's not your fault. I know you had trouble coming up with a reply. You didn't want to hurt my feelings, yet you wanted to be honest with me as well." Before Naruto could reply, she continued on.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun! This is all my fault!" She suddenly apologized, "I realized how hard this must've been for you, so it makes sense that you've avoided it altogether. I'm the one at fault; I've put all this weight on your shoulders! Gomen... I've always been such a burden..."

Naruto suddenly got very angry. How could she blame herself, especially when he was clearly the one at fault! Why did Hinata always seem to put herself down?  
"NO!" he shouted, causing Hinata to take a step back in surprise. "Don't you DARE call yourself a burden! You haven't done anything wrong! I'm the one to blame...＂Naruto now spoke quietly.

"I've been a real jerk. You've always been so good to me, even though I've always been to stupid to realize it," he admitted, "As for me, I've always seemed to put you in the background and took your kindness for granted. You were always there, supporting me. And during that battle with Pein, you were willing to sacrifice yourself - to protect me. Nobody...has ever cared for me like you do! And... I just ignored you and your confession and just brushed it off, not realizing that it hurt you. I was too much of a coward to -"

"Reject me?" Hinata finished. She looked at him with a sad smile. "Naruto-kun... You love Sakura-chan, right? I-I respect that. We can't help who we love." Naruto looked up at her, guilt and regret apparent in his eyes. Why me, he thought, why would she love someone who barely notices her?

"Naruto-kun... It's my fault I was invisible to you," she said. Naruto blushed faintly. Did he just ask that out loud? "I always watched you from afar, too self-conscious to approach you or talk to you. You are what I've always hoped to be. You never give up, you believe in yourself and in others, and you smile, even when you are really suffering inside. And you are a kind-hearted person, who never goes back on his word. You were the first person to have faith in me. And you helped me change, to believe in myself better. That's why... I-I love you!" She practically shouted the last part.

"But I'm willing to stay just friends with you! To be one of your precious people...is enough to make me happy!"

Naruto wanted to tell her he wanted to give 'them' a try, that maybe he could learn to love her...but he couldn't find his voice. He couldn't find words to speak, so he just dumbly nodded and said,

"Umm... Yeah! Of course. Me and you, good friends. That's great you're so cool with it," he forced a smile. This was what he wanted, right? Things couldn't have gone better... Right?...

But deep inside of him, he didn't feel so good about it. He felt really empty, like he's just lost something. This feeling was unsettling...

"S-so no more awkwardness between us right?" She said hopefully.

"Yeah, it's all behind us now!"

"That's good to hear," she said, "Because there's something I need to ask you..." Naruto looked at her expectantly.

"W-will you train with me?" Hinata asked hopefully, "I want to become stronger, and to become an ANBU. And you want to become Hokage. It would benefit the both of us, right?" Before Naruto could speak, she continued on.

"Besides, I want to help you in any means possible in becoming Hokage. It's the least I could do for you. And I have no doubt that you will become Hokage someday! I promise to do my best! And we will both achieve our dreams! Dattebayo!"

Naruto chuckled; she sounded so cute saying his catch phrase. Instead of looking at the ground, slumping her shoulders, or speaking with hesitance; She stood up straight, looked him directly in the eyes, and seemed sure and confident.

It was as if she was awakened, like she had left her shell. With all this confidence and determination, he had to admit she looked absolutely beautiful, perfect even. And it warmed his heart that she had so much faith in him. She made him have these feelings he just couldn't explain!

"Yeah, of course I'll train with you!" He said, eyes shining with happiness.  
"And...Thanks Hinata," he said quietly, almost shyly. Hinata looked ecstatic. _We may be just friends_, she thought, _but at least I can become closer to him._

The two stood there in silence for a little while. Naruto's stomach suddenly grumbled. He put his hands behind his head with a light blush, and coughed awkwardly.

"So - uh - you wanna go grab some ramen?"

Hinata giggled at his Naruto-ness. "You didn't get some earlier this morning?"

"Of course I did! But there's no such thing as too much ramen!"

"H-Hai, Iet's go."

He grabbed her hand and dashed off to Ichiraku's, dragging her along with him.  
Hinata barely managed to fight off a deep blush, so her face settled at a light, pink hue. _Just friends_, she reminded herself, _we're just friends_.

Naruto, on the other hand, took no notice of their hand holding. He had only three bowls this morning - not nearly enough to satisfy his ramen needs!  
And so the two set off to Ichiraku for some ramen.

Meanwhile outside the gates of Konoha...

A boy stood on a high tree branch outside the gates of Konoha gazing at his view of the village. The guards were not there, probably taking a short break. The young onlooker had spiky red hair, with spiky bangs slightly covering his right eye. His eyes were dark grey. He wore a dark blue hoodie along with black ninja pants. Ninja bandages wrapped his pants ankles, wrists, and above his feet. He wore red ninja sandals, and had a kunai holster attached to his left leg. He was obviously a ninja; most likely a rogue ninja, since a hitae was nowhere in sight.

"So, this must be Konoha, huh," he mused, "I'll be back soon. Looks like a nice-enough place."

And with that, he swiftly jumped onto a nearby tree and leapt branch by branch through the forest -and into the distance.

A letter coming from the direction of the young man glided through the wind and landed softly on the ground, at the front of the village gates.

The guards came back, now done with their break. They noticed a letter laying on the ground.  
"Hey, there's a note on the ground," said one of the guards.  
"Wierd, we weren't gone for long," said the other guard. He bent down to pick it up.

_To Tsunade-baachan_, the envelope read.

"Huh, you think we should bring this to Hokage-sama?"  
"Yeah, it's hers after all."  
"What if it's dangerous?"  
"Heh, Hokage-sama can take care of herself," the first guard chuckled, "you go on ahead, I'll keep guard."

With the letter in hand, the second guard did a hand sign, and poofed away. The first guard looked thoughtful.

"I do wonder who this is though," he wondered aloud, "I thought only Naruto called Hokage-sama that. Who is this person? Eh, whatever. Not my business." And so he focused back on his job, guarding Konoha from outside dangers...

...

"Man, this job is boring..."

#chapter end

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So please review or follow ! And if you like it enough, plz fave it :D

Thanks for reading! Make sure to read the latest Naruto chapter! if your a NaruHina fan youll love it for shure!


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